Universal-joint oil-box



G. E. MILLER. UNIVERSAL JOINT 0. BOX. APPLICATION FILED OCT, 14, 1920.

1,382,528. Patehtedjunem, 1921.

WITNESS i 3 1 IN VEN TOR :5 7. g r r @fiW/LLEB.

Z44 ATTORNEYS UNITED STATES GEORGE EDWARD MILLER, 01 OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA. v j u- PATENT OFFICE.

UNIVERSAL-JOINT OIL-BOX.

To all whom it may concern 7 Be it known that I, GEORGE EDWARD MILLER, a citizen of the United States, and

a resident of Oakland, county of Alameda,

and State of California, have invented a certain new and useful Universal-Joint Oil Box,'of which the following is a specification. I

This invention relates to .oil guards and dust'boxes particularly of the character used in combination with universal joints of various machines and vehicles.

A common type of dust guard and oilfor' universal joints of driving and propeller shafts of vehlcles consists of two concavoconvex or hemispherical sections havlng mutually bearing portions that are generally provided with a packing. The box sections are respectively connected to the driving,

shaft and the propeller shaft which are joined by a universal oint; the box forming an oil containing chamber and'also forming adus't guard for the universal oint inclosed.

It is an object of the present invention to provide means for preventing the waste and :outward flow of oil under centrifugal force between the running joint of the mutually 7 bearing portions of the sections of the oil box.

It is at the same time an object of the in-' vent-ion to provide-means on-each section of the box capable of receiving and holding the within the oil box.

It is further an object of the invention to 'i'providea device. of'this kind that is at once sale price of the joint box. It is also an simple, practicable, and that does not'materiallyincreaselthe cost of construction or 7 object to provide means forming substantially fixed-parts provided on or formed integrally with the respective sections of the box so'as to-obviate extraneous fastening means and other loose devices or attachments and further .to provide 011 collecting means that will have substantially the same life as the box sections themselves! The'invent'ion possesses other Objects and features -of'advantage, some of which with the foregoing, will be made manifest in the following description of the preferred forms of the invention which are illustrated in the mobile;

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented June 21, 1921 Application filed 0etober 14, 1920. Serial No. 417,001.

. drawings accompanying and forming part of the specification. It is to be understood that it is not intended to limit the invention to the embodiments shown by the said drawings and description as variations may be adopted within the scope of the invention as set forth in the claims.

Referring to the drawings Figure 1 is a central longitudinal section through the preferred form of the device. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view showin a modified form of the device.

1g. 3 shows collecting means applicable toexistent box structures, Figs. 4L and 5 show modified forms.

charge plates.-

While the invention may be embodied in a variety of forms, a preferred construction is Fig. 6 shows dis- -that inwhich the box-forming sections of the housing adapted to 'inclose a universal oint are each provided with an oil retainmg or collecting means preferably so disposed as to intercept the oil as it is thrown centrifugally during the rotation of the universal joint and the box and thus prevent the passage of the oil to. the running joints at which the sections bear upon each other and thus prevent loss of oil through the joints.

vIn the construction shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings the dust guard and oil box comprises a substantially hemisphericalcasing formed of two secti'ons2 and 3 the former of which is suitably attached to convenient means on the adjacent end of the drive shaft D, as for instance, of an auto- The box section 3 which is in the form of a segment of a sphere has'a contracted neck, portion embracing the propeller shaft S;-the said portion being provided to receive a packing ring 4. Sleeve part 5, inwhich the packing ring 4 is arranged, may be provided with an end flange 6 to engage a spring 7 the-pressure ofwhich is controlled by an adjustable nut or collar 8' on the shaft S and which spring serves to :press a section 3 .of the box toward the complementary spherical flange portion 25 of the box section 2. j

The ends'of the shaftsD and S are connected by a universal jjoint structure J of any suitable character and during operation of, the shaft sections D and S any relative 'angular change of position of the axes of the shaft is compensated for by the sliding movement of the box section 3 upon thecomplementary section 2. Preferably the box section 3 18 provided with a flange portion 3 in which there is arranged any suitable packing material 9. 1

Ordinarily the oil box 2-3 is filled .with a lubricant through a filling aperture 10 and during the rotation of the shaft the centrifugal force generated tends to drive the lubri cant through the running joint at the packing 9 between the flanges 2 and?) of the box sections.

' To obviate leakage and-waste of lubricant the present invention comprises means on either or both of the sections 2-3 of the box serving to prevent thedirect flowing of the 011 or lubricant under centrifugalforce' through the runn'ingjoint. This object may be accomplished by the provision of an annular ring or pocket 11 provided or formed on the section 3, for instance, the pockethaving its inner mouth 12 arranged close to the inner edge of the flange 3, so that any oil creeping outwardly on the outersurface of" v the flange 2* will be directed into-thepocket 11 and held there during therotation of the parts.

' 'shownfin F g. 2ascompr1s1ngan annular" Similarly the box section '2 may, be promechanism within the oil box. Such oil conducting means may comprise a wick 15 which is here shown as extended through a centrally bored universal joint pin 1?. f V A slightly modified form of the device is tube 116 which isconnecte d to 'the'respective boxf'section as by radial tubes 17.

A further modification is shownin Fig.

3 in whic'hf'the sections are provided with applied circumferential channel rin'gs 111 'and 1' 3. The rings may be soldered and riveted 'in place over'series of 18 inf'the box sections. 1

pIn Fig. etthe packing ring is arranged in the outer casing member 2* which rides overthe inner casing member '8", the former having the circumferential oil collecting chamber 13.

j ing means is such'th'at duringfthefrotation the oil mass when thrown into the collecting channels, will be beyond the join.t 1ine'between the casing parts. 5 Y

"which the packing 9 is retained within the" Fig. 5 shows a form of boxsectjionin I "outer-bowed portion of the box Section;

. Fi' 6 is a detail sectional'view showing radia "dischargeblades or plates 20 in an annular pocket. Either the plates 9 the port holes wall with perforations 18, Fig. 3, will serve to shower the oil from the annular pockets as the speed of the rotating mechanism falls.

hat is'claimed is:

1. A universal-joint dust guard and 'oil oil holding means circumferentially beyond the bearing surface of said sectionsand into. which the oil is thrown by centrifugal force and contained well beyond the meeting joint of said sections to prevent its being forced past the running joint of the section's. K 2. A unlversaloint dust guard and 011 box having spherical bearing section's, oil holding means into which the oil is thrown by centrifugal force to revent its being forced past the running j o nt of the sections, and a. Wick-like device for conveying oil from the holding means. i v j 3. A universal-joint dust guard and oil box having sections bearing on each'other at spherical portions, and meansextending beyond the body of the spherical portions to catch and to prevent the flow of oil into the bearing joint between the sections under centrifugal force.

4. A universal-'oint dust guard and oil box having sections bearing on each other atspherical portions, and means on each portion to collect oilthrown centrifu allyto p ntyits being forced throught 'ning joint of thesections; 1 I 1 I guard and 'oil 5. A; universal-joint dust box; having. sectionsfbearing on 'each other at spherical'portions, and means'on each portion tOfCOllGCt oil'thrown centrifugally to prevent its being forced through the run:

ning joint of the sections, said} means combox having spherical bearing sections, andv prising annular pockets provided on the said c sections.

6,. A universal-jointldust guard and oil,

boxl having" sections bearing on each other at spherical portions, and means on eachportion to. collect oil thrown centrifugally' to prevent its being forced through the run hing joint of the'sect1ons, sa1d means comprisingannular pocketsformed i th i sections." p

i 7. A,universal-joint oil box having'inutual'bearing flanges one of which-has a -cir ing withthe chamber of the box and independent of the bearing area-of saidflanges v p 1 to hold oil thrown-by centrifugal force' V Preferably the capacity of the oil collect- 8 A universal-joint box i-including sections bearlng oneach other to make a;run-

cumferential collecting pocket communicat ning joint,-saidsections each'havingmeans' 'to collect oilthrownby centrifugal force;

' 9. A "universal-joint 1 box having sections with a packed running joint, and means at each side 'of the joint to collect 011, thrown centrifugally, interiorly of the box.

- 10. Auniversal-joint'dust guard and-oil boxhaving'spherical bearing sections, and o l h g meansinto whi h i! i 180 thrown by centrifugal force to prevent its being forced past the running joint of the sections and means for showering the oil from the holding means as the speed of rotation falls.

11. A universal-joint dust guard and oil box having spherical bearing sections running one upon the other and rotative as a whole; one of the sections being provided with a circumferential outwardly extending groove portion which is independent of the running or meeting portions of the sections so as to collect and retain oil beyond the working zone of the meeting faces of the box. 7

12. A universal-joint dust guard and oil box having cooperative sections each provided with a spherical working face, and an outwardly projecting channel forming means extending beyond the spherical portions of the sections so as to collect and 'retain lubricant and prevent its flowingl to the running joint between the sections w ile the box is rotating.

13. A universal-joint dust guard and oil box having cooperative sections each provided with a spherical working face, and

an outwardly projecting channel forming means extending beyond the spherical por-' GEORGE EDWARD MILLER. 

